Signaling of power information for mimo transmission in a wireless communication system

ABSTRACT

An apparatus includes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The memory stores instructions executable by the processor to perform operations that include determining a particular number of transport blocks associated with user equipment (UE) based on a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices received from the UE.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation of pending Continuation application Ser. No. 15/072,038, filed Mar. 16, 2016, entitled “SINGALING OF POWER INFORMATION FOR MIMO TRANSMISSION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM,” which claims priority to granted U.S. application Ser. No. 13/325,251, filed Dec. 14, 2011, Grant No. 9,338,756, grant date May 10, 2016 entitled “SINGALING OF POWER INFORMATION FOR MIMO TRANSMISSION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM,” which claims priority to granted U.S. application Ser. No. 11/971,084, filed Jan. 8, 2008, Grant No. 8,837,337, grant date Sep. 16, 2014 entitled “SIGNALING OF POWER INFORMATION FOR MIMO TRANSMISSION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM,” which claims priority to Provisional U.S. Application No. 60/884,820, filed Jan. 12, 2007, entitled “VIRTUAL POWER OFFSET SIGNALLING IN MIMO.” Each of the above applications is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

I. Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communication, and more specifically to techniques for signaling power information in a wireless communication system.

II. Background

In a wireless communication system, a Node B may utilize multiple (T) transmit antennas for data transmission to a user equipment (UE) equipped with multiple (R) receive antennas. The multiple transmit and receive antennas form a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channel that may be used to increase throughput and/or improve reliability. For example, the Node B may transmit up to T data streams simultaneously from the T transmit antennas to improve throughput. Alternatively, the Node B may transmit a single data stream from all T transmit antennas to improve reception quality by the UE. Each data stream may carry one transport block of data in a given transmission time interval (TTI). Hence, the terms “data stream” and “transport block” may be used interchangeably.

Good performance (e.g., high throughput) may be achieved by sending each transport block at the highest possible rate that still allows the UE to reliably decode the transport block. The UE may estimate signal-to-interference-and-noise ratios (SINRs) of each possible precoding combination of transport blocks that might be transmitted and may then determine channel quality indicator (CQI) information based on the estimated SINRs of the best precoding combination of transport blocks. The CQI information may convey a set of processing parameters for each transport block. The UE may send the CQI information to the Node B. The Node B may process one or more transport blocks in accordance with the CQI information and send the transport block(s) to the UE.

Data transmission performance may be dependent on accurate determination and reporting of CQI information by the UE. There is therefore a need in the art for techniques to facilitate accurate determination and reporting of CQI information.

SUMMARY

Techniques for signaling power information to facilitate accurate determination and reporting of CQI information for a MIMO transmission are described herein. For a MIMO transmission sent using code division multiplexing, the SINR of a transport block may be dependent on power per channelization code, P_(OVSF), but may not be a linear function of P_(OVSF).

In an aspect, a Node B may send power information that may be used by a UE to determine P_(OVSF), which may then be used for SINR estimation. In one design, the power information comprises a power offset between the power of a data channel, P_(HSPDSCH), and the power of a pilot channel, P_(CPICH). In general, the data channel may comprise any number of channelization codes. P_(HSPDSCH) may be given for a designated number of channelization codes, M, which may be a known value or provided via signaling. The Node B may determine P_(HSPDSCH) based on the power available for the data channel, {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) the number of channelization codes available for the data channel, K, and the designated number of channelization codes, M. P_(HSPDSCH) may be greater than {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) if the designated number of channelization codes is greater than the number of available channelization codes.

The UE may receive the power information from the Node B and may determine P_(OVSF) based on the power information and the designated number of channelization codes. In one design, the UE may obtain the power offset from the power information and compute P_(HSPDSCH) based on the power offset and the known P_(CPICH). The UE may then distribute P_(HSPDSCH) across at least one transport block and also across the designated number of channelization codes to obtain P_(OVSF). The UE may estimate the SINR of each transport block based on P_(OVSF) and then determine CQI information for the at least one transport block based on the SINR of each transport block. The UE may send the CQI information to the Node B.

The Node B may receive the CQI information from the UE and may send at least one transport block in a MIMO transmission to the UE. In one design, the Node B may send the transport block(s) with the designated number of channelization codes and at P_(OVSF) or higher. In another design, the Node B may send the transport block(s) with K available channelization codes at P_(OVSF) or higher and may scale the size of the transport block(s) based on the designated number of channelization codes, M, and the number of available channelization codes, K. In yet another design, the Node B may scale P_(OVSF) based on K and M and may then send the transport block(s) with the K available channelization codes at the scaled P_(OVSF).

Various aspects and features of the disclosure are described in further detail below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communication system.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a Node B and a UE.

FIG. 3 shows a timing diagram for a set of physical channels.

FIG. 4 shows scaling of the power offset by the Node B.

FIG. 5 shows a mechanism for sending the power offset by the Node B.

FIG. 6 shows a process for determining CQI information by the UE.

FIG. 7 shows a process performed by the Node B.

FIG. 8 shows a process performed by the UE.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, etc. The terms “system” and “network” are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includes Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and other CDMA variants. cdma2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. UTRA is part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), and both are described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP). cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radio technologies and standards are known in the art. For clarity, the techniques are described below for UMTS, and UMTS terminology is used in much of the description below.

FIG. 1 shows a wireless communication system 100 with multiple Node Bs 110 and multiple UEs 120. System 100 may also be referred to as a Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN) in UMTS. A Node B is generally a fixed station that communicates with the UEs and may also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNode B), a base station, an access point, etc. Each Node B 110 provides communication coverage for a particular geographic area and supports communication for the UEs located within the coverage area. A system controller 130 couples to Node Bs 110 and provides coordination and control for these Node Bs. System controller 130 may be a single network entity or a collection of network entities.

UEs 120 may be dispersed throughout the system, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also be referred to as a mobile station, a terminal, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a station, etc. A UE may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless device, a handheld device, a wireless modem, a laptop computer, etc.

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a design of one Node B 110 and one UE 120. In this design, Node B 110 is equipped with multiple (T) antennas 220 a through 220 t, and UE 120 is equipped with multiple (R) antennas 252 a through 252 r. A MIMO transmission may be sent from the T transmit antennas at Node B 110 to the R receive antennas at UE 120.

At Node B 110, a transmit (TX) data and signaling processor 212 may receive data from a data source (not shown) for all scheduled UEs. Processor 212 may process (e.g., format, encode, interleave, and symbol map) the data for each UE and provide data symbols, which are modulation symbols for data. Processor 212 may also process signaling (e.g., power information) and provides signaling symbols, which are modulation symbols for signaling. A spatial mapper 214 may precode the data symbols for each UE based on a precoding matrix or vector for that UE and provide output symbols for all UEs. A CDMA modulator (MOD) 216 may perform CDMA processing on the output symbols and signaling symbols and may provide T output chip streams to T transmitters (TMTR) 218 a through 218 t. Each transmitter 218 may process (e.g., convert to analog, filter, amplify, and frequency upconvert) its output chip stream and provide a downlink signal. T downlink signals from T transmitters 218 a through 218 t may be sent via T antennas 220 a through 220 t, respectively.

At UE 120, R antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlink signals from Node B 110 and provide R received signals to R receivers (RCVR) 254 a through 254 r, respectively. Each receiver 254 may process (e.g., filter, amplify, frequency downconvert, and digitize) its received signal and provide samples to a channel processor 268 and an equalizer/CDMA demodulator (DEMOD) 260. Processor 268 may derive coefficients for a front-end filter/equalizer and coefficients for one or more combiner matrices for equalizer/CDMA demodulator 260. Unit 260 may perform equalization with the front-end filter and CDMA demodulation and may provide filtered symbols. A MIMO detector 262 may combine the filtered symbols across spatial dimension and provide detected symbols, which are estimates of the data symbols and signaling symbols sent to UE 120. A receive (RX) data and signaling processor 264 may process (e.g., symbol demap, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols and provide decoded data and signaling. In general, the processing by equalizer/CDMA demodulator 260, MIMO detector 262, and RX data and signaling processor 264 is complementary to the processing by CDMA modulator 216, spatial mapper 214, and TX data and signaling processor 212, respectively, at Node B 110.

Channel processor 268 may estimate the response of the wireless channel from Node B 110 to UE 120. Processor 268 and/or 270 may process the channel estimate and/or the derived coefficients to obtain feedback information, which may include precoding control indicator (PCI) information and CQI information. The PCI information may convey the number of transport blocks to send in parallel and a specific precoding matrix or vector to use for precoding the transport block(s). A transport block may also be referred to as a packet, a data block, etc. The CQI information may convey processing parameters (e.g., the transport block size and modulation scheme) for each transport block. Processor 268 and/or 270 may evaluate different possible precoding matrices and vectors that can be used for data transmission and may select a precoding matrix or vector that can provide the best performance, e.g., the highest overall throughput. Processor 268 and/or 270 may also determine the CQI information for the selected precoding matrix or vector.

The feedback information and data to send on the uplink may be processed by a TX data and signaling processor 280, further processed by a CDMA modulator 282, and conditioned by transmitters 254 a through 254 r to generate R uplink signals, which may be transmitted via antennas 252 a through 252 r, respectively. The number of transmit antennas at UE 120 may or may not be equal to the number of receive antennas. For example, UE 120 may receive data using two antennas but may transmit the feedback information using only one antenna. At Node B 110, the uplink signals from UE 120 may be received by antennas 220 a through 220 t, conditioned by receivers 218 a through 218 t, processed by an equalizer/CDMA demodulator 240, detected by a MIMO detector 242, and processed by an RX data and signaling processor 244 to recover the feedback information and data sent by UE 120. The number of receive antennas at Node B 110 may or may not match the number of transmit antennas.

Controllers/processors 230 and 270 may direct the operation at Node B 110 and UE 120, respectively. Memories 232 and 272 may store program code and data for Node B 110 and UE 120, respectively. A scheduler 234 may schedule UEs for downlink and/or uplink transmission, e.g., based on the feedback information received from the UEs.

In UMTS, data for a UE may be processed as one or more transport channels at a higher layer. The transport channels may carry data for one or more services such as voice, video, packet data, etc. The transport channels may be mapped to physical channels at a physical layer. The physical channels may be channelized with different channelization codes and may thus be orthogonal to one another in the code domain. UMTS uses orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) codes as the channelization codes for the physical channels.

3GPP Release 5 and later supports High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), which is a set of channels and procedures that enable high-speed packet data transmission on the downlink. For HSDPA, a Node B may send data on a High Speed Downlink Shared Channel (HS-DSCH), which is a downlink transport channel that is shared by all UEs in both time and code. The HS-DSCH may carry data for one or more UEs in each TTI. For UMTS, a 10 millisecond (ms) radio frame is partitioned into five 2-ms subframes, each subframe includes three slots, and each slot has a duration of 0.667 ms. A TTI is equal to one subframe for HSDPA and is the smallest unit of time in which a UE may be scheduled and served. The sharing of the HS-DSCH may change dynamically from TTI to TTI.

Table 2 lists some downlink and uplink physical channels used for HSDPA and provides a short description for each physical channel.

TABLE 1 Chan- Link nel Channel Name Description Down- HS- High Speed Physical Carry data sent on the link PDSCH Downlink Shared HS-DSCH for Channel different UEs. Down- HS- Shared Control Carry signaling for the link SCCH Channel for HS-DSCH HS-PDSCH. Uplink HS- Dedicated Physical Carry feedback for DPCCH Control Channel for downlink transmission HS-DSCH in HSDPA.

FIG. 3 shows a timing diagram for the physical channels used for HSDPA. For HSDPA, a Node B may serve one or more UEs in each TTI. The Node B may send signaling for each scheduled UE on the HS-SCCH and may send data on the HS-PDSCH two slots later. The Node B may use a configurable number of 128-chip OVSF codes for the HS-SCCH and may use up to fifteen 16-chip OVSF codes for the HS-PDSCH. HSDPA may be considered as having a single HS-PDSCH with up to fifteen 16-chip OVSF codes and a single HS-SCCH with a configurable number of 128-chip OVSF codes. Equivalently, HSDPA may be considered as having up to fifteen HS-PDSCHs and a configurable number of HS-SCCHs, with each HS-PDSCH having a single 16-chip OVSF code and each HS-SCCH having a single 128-chip OVSF code. The following description uses the terminology of a single HS-PDSCH and a single HS-SCCH.

Each UE that might receive data on the HS-PDSCH may process up to four 128-chip OVSF codes for the HS-SCCH in each TTI to determine whether signaling has been sent for that UE. Each UE that is scheduled in a given TTI may process the HS-PDSCH to recover data sent to that UE. Each scheduled UE may send either an acknowledgement (ACK) on the HS-DPCCH if a transport block is decoded correctly or a negative acknowledgement (NACK) otherwise. Each UE may also send PCI and CQI information on the HS-DPCCH to the Node B.

FIG. 3 also shows timing offsets between the HS-SCCH, the HS-PDSCH, and the HS-DPCCH at a UE. The HS-PDSCH starts two slots after the HS-SCCH. The HS-DPCCH starts approximately 7.5 slots from the end of the corresponding transmission on the HS-PDSCH.

A UE may send CQI information to allow a Node B to appropriately process and transmit data to the UE. In general, CQI information may be sent for any number of transport blocks or data streams. For clarity, much of the description below assumes that one or two transport blocks may be sent in a given TTI and that the CQI information may be for one or two transport blocks.

The Node B may transmit two transport blocks to the UE using one of multiple possible precoding matrices or may transmit a single transport block using one column/vector of one of the possible precoding matrices. The UE may evaluate data performance for different possible precoding matrices and vectors that can be used by the Node B for data transmission to the UE. For each precoding matrix or vector, the UE may estimate the quality of each transport block, which may be given by any suitable metric. For clarity, the following description assumes that the quality of each transport block is given by an equivalent SINR for an additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel, which is referred to as simply SINR in the description below. The UE may determine data performance (e.g., the overall throughput) for each precoding matrix or vector based on the SINR(s) of all transport block(s). After evaluating all possible precoding matrices and vectors, the UE may select the precoding matrix or vector that provides the best data performance.

For each possible precoding matrix, the UE may estimate the SINRs of two transport blocks that may be sent in parallel with that precoding matrix. The transport block with the higher SINR may be referred to as the primary transport block, and the transport block with the lower SINR may be referred to as the secondary transport block. The SINR of each transport block may be dependent on various factors such as (i) the total power of the HS-PDSCH, (ii) the number of OVSF codes used for the HS-PDSCH, (iii) channel conditions, which may be given by channel gains and noise variance, (iv) the type of receiver processing performed by the UE, (v) the order in which the transport blocks are recovered if successive interference cancellation (SIC) is performed by the UE, and (vi) possibly other factors.

The SINR of transport block i, SINR_(i) may be given as:

SINR_(i) =F(P _(OVSF) ,X _(i)),  Eq (1)

where

P_(OVSF) is the power per OVSF code for the HS-PDSCH,

X_(i) includes all other parameters that affect SINR, and

F( ) is an SINR function applicable for the UE.

The SINR function may be dependent on the receiver processing at the UE and may not be a linear function of P_(OVSF). Thus, if P_(OVSF) increases by G decibel (dB), then the amount of improvement in SINR may not be accurately known based solely on the G dB increase in P_(OVSF). This non-linear relationship between P_(OVSF) and SINR may be due to code-reuse interference, which is interference between two transport blocks using the same OVSF codes. Furthermore, the SINR function may not be known at the Node B.

In an aspect, the Node B may send power information that may be used by the UE to determine the power per OVSF code, P_(OVSF), to use for SINR estimation. The power information may be given in various forms and may be based on certain assumptions. In one design, the power information comprises a power offset that is indicative of the difference between the power of the HS-PDSCH, P_(HSPDSCH), and the power of a reference channel. The reference channel may be a Common Pilot Channel (CPICH) or some other channel having known power. In one design, the power of the HS-PDSCH, P_(HSPDSCH), may be determined as follows:

P _(HSPDSCH) =P _(CPICH)+Γ, in dB,  Eq (2)

where

P_(CPICH) is the power of the CPICH, and

Γ is the power offset that may be signaled by the Node B.

The Node B may signal the power offset Γ to the UE, as described below. At the Node B, P_(HSPDSCH) is the transmit power of the HS-PDSCH, and P_(CPICH) is the transmit power of the CPICH. At the UE, P_(HSPDSCH) is the received power of the HS-PDSCH, and P_(CPICH) is the received power of the CPICH. The UE may be able to determine P_(HSPDSCH) based on the signaled power offset F, as shown in equation (2).

The Node B and UE may compute P_(OVSF) in the same manner based on the available information so that the power per OVSF code used by the Node B for data transmission can meet or exceed the P_(OVSF) used by the UE for SINR estimation. P_(OVSF) may be computed in various manners. In one design, P_(HSPDSCH) may be distributed evenly to all transport blocks, and P_(OVSF) may then be the same for all transport blocks. In another design, a particular percentage of P_(HSPDSCH) may be distributed to the primary transport block, the remaining percentage of P_(HSPDSCH) may be distributed to the secondary transport block, and P_(OVSF) may be different for the two transport blocks.

In one design, P_(OVSF) may be computed based on a designated number of OVSF codes, M. In one design, the Node B may provide M via higher layer signaling and/or some other mechanism, e.g., on a regular basis or whenever there is a change. In another design, M may be equal to the maximum number of OVSF codes for the HS-PDSCH (i.e., M=15) or equal to some other predetermined/known value. In any case, P_(OVSF) may be obtained by uniformly distributing P_(HSPDSCH) across the M OVSF codes, as follows:

P _(OVSF) =P _(HSPDSCH)−10·log₁₀(M), in dB.  Eq (3)

In equation (3), subtraction in dB is equivalent to division in linear unit.

Table 2 lists some parameters used in the description herein and provides a short description for each parameter.

TABLE 2 Symbol Description P_(HSPDSCH) Power computed by the UE and Node B based on the power offset Γ and P_(CPICH), which are known to both entities. {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) Power available at the Node for the HS-PDSCH. P_(OVSF) Power per OVSF code computed by the UE and Node B based on the power offset Γ and P_(CPICH). {tilde over (P)}_(OVSF) Power per OVSF code available at the Node B for the HS-PDSCH.

In general, P_(HSPDSCH) may be equal to, less than, or greater than {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH). P_(HSPDSCH) and P_(OVSF) may be referred to as signaled or computed values, and {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) and {tilde over (P)}_(OVSF) may be referred to as available values.

The Node B may have K OVSF codes available for the HS-PDSCH, where K may or may not be equal to the designated number of OVSF codes. The Node B may scale the power offset Γ based on the number of available OVSF codes and the designated number of OVSF codes.

FIG. 4 shows scaling of the power offset by the Node B. The Node B may have K available OVSF codes for the HS-PDSCH, where 1≦K≦M for the example shown in FIG. 4. The Node B may also have {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) available for the HS-PDSCH. The Node B may compute {tilde over (P)}_(OVSF) by distributing {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) uniformly across K available OVSF codes, as follows:

{tilde over (P)} _(OVSF) ={tilde over (P)} _(HSPDSCH)−10·log₁₀(K), in dB.  Eq (4)

The Node B may set P_(OVSF) equal to {tilde over (P)}_(OVSF). The Node B may then compute P_(HSPDSCH) such that P_(OVSF) is obtained for each of the M designated OVSF codes, as follows:

$\begin{matrix} \begin{matrix} {P_{HSPDSCH} = {{\overset{\sim}{P}}_{OVSF} + {10 \cdot {\log_{10}(M)}}}} \\ {{= {{\overset{\sim}{P}}_{HSPDSCH} + {10 \cdot {\log_{10}\left( {M/K} \right)}}}},} \end{matrix} & {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} (5)} \\ {{in}\mspace{14mu} {{dB}.}} & \; \end{matrix}$

The Node B may then compute the power offset based on the computed P_(HSPDSCH) and the known P_(CPICH), as follows:

Γ=P _(HSPDSCH) −P _(CPICH), in dB.  Eq (6)

If K is less than M, as shown in FIG. 4, then the computed P_(HSPDSCH) may be larger than the available {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) at the Node B. If K is greater than M (not shown in FIG. 4), then the computed P_(HSPDSCH) may be smaller than the available {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH). In any case, since {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) may or may not be equal to P_(HSPDSCH), the power offset Γ may be considered as a virtual or hypothetical power offset used for computation of P_(OVSF) based on the designated number of OVSF codes.

The Node B may send the power information used to determine P_(OVSF) in various manners. In one design, the Node B may send the power information via higher layer signaling and/or some other mechanism, e.g., on a regular basis or whenever there is a change.

FIG. 5 shows a mechanism for sending the power offset Γ using a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message in UMTS. The Node B may send a PHYSICAL CHANNEL RECONFIGURATION message to the UE in order to assign, replace or release a set of physical channels used by the UE. This message may include a number of information elements (IEs), one of which may be a Downlink HS-PDSCH Information IE that may carry information for the HS-PDSCH. The Downlink HS-PDSCH Information IE may include a Measurement Feedback Info IE that may carry information affecting feedback information sent by the UE on the uplink to the Node B. The Measurement Feedback Info IE may include a Measurement Power Offset parameter, which may be set to the power offset Γ computed as shown in equation (6). The power offset Γ may also be sent in other RRC messages to the UE. The RRC messages and IEs are described in 3GPP TS 25.331, entitled “Radio Resource Control (RRC),” dated September 2007, which is publicly available.

The Node B may also send the power offset Γ in other manners. The Node B may also send other types of information to allow the UE to compute P_(OVSF). In general, the Node B may send a relative value (e.g., the power offset) or an absolute value (e.g., P_(HSPDSCH)) for the computation of P_(OVSF). The Node B may send the power information when a link for the UE is set up, is changed, etc.

The UE may receive the power information (e.g., the power offset) from the Node B and may compute P_(OVSF) based on the power information and other known information. The UE may then use P_(OVSF) to determine CQI information.

FIG. 6 shows a process 600 for determining CQI information for multiple (e.g., two) transport blocks. The UE may compute the received power of the HS-PDSCH, P_(HSPDSCH), based on the power offset Γ received from the Node B and the received power of the CPICH, P_(CPICH), e.g., as shown in equation (2) (block 610). The UE may next compute P_(OVSF) based on P_(HSPDSCH) and the designated number of OVSF codes, e.g., as shown in equation (3) (block 612). The UE may estimate the SINR of each transport block based on P_(OVSF) and other parameters and in accordance with an SINR function (block 614).

The UE may map the SINR of each transport block to a CQI index based on a CQI mapping table (block 616). The CQI mapping table may have L entries for L possible CQI levels, where L may be any suitable value. Each CQI level may be associated with a set of parameters for a transport block as well as a required SINR. The set of parameters may include a transport block size, a modulation scheme, a code rate, etc. The L CQI levels may be associated with increasing required SINRs. For each transport block, the UE may select the highest CQI level with a required SINR that is lower than the estimated SINR of that transport block. The CQI index for each transport block may indicate one of L possible CQI levels. The UE may send the CQI indices to the Node B (block 618). The Node B may transmit transport blocks to the UE based on the CQI indices received from the UE.

In one design, symmetric OVSF code allocation is employed, and the same number and same set of OVSF codes is used for two transport blocks. In this design, the CQI mapping table may be defined such that the same number of OVSF codes is used for all CQI levels. In another design, asymmetric OVSF code allocation is allowed, and the number of OVSF codes for the secondary transport block may be different (e.g., fewer) than the number of OVSF codes for the primary transport block. In this design, the CQI mapping table may have different numbers of OVSF codes for different CQI levels, e.g., fewer OVSF codes for one or more of the lowest CQI levels. The secondary transport block may be sent with a subset of the OVSF codes used for the primary transport block.

If a precoding matrix is selected, then the UE may separately determine two CQI indices for two transport blocks to be sent in parallel with the selected precoding matrix. If a precoding vector is selected, then the UE may determine one CQI index for one transport block to be sent with the selected precoding vector. The UE may send a single CQI value that can convey either one CQI index for one transport block or two CQI indices for two transport blocks. With a granularity of 15 CQI levels for each CQI index in the case of two transport blocks, a total of 15×15=225 CQI index combinations are possible for two transport blocks. If 8 bits are used for the single CQI value, then up to 256−225=31 levels may be used for the CQI index for one transport block.

In one design, the single CQI value may be determined as follows:

$\begin{matrix} {{CQI} = \left\{ \begin{matrix} {{15 \times {CQI}_{1}} + {CQI}_{2} + 31} & \begin{matrix} {{when}\mspace{14mu} 2\mspace{14mu} {transport}\mspace{14mu} {blocks}} \\ {{are}\mspace{14mu} {preferred}\mspace{14mu} {by}\mspace{14mu} {the}\mspace{14mu} {UE}} \end{matrix} \\ {CQI}_{S} & \begin{matrix} {{when}\mspace{14mu} 1\mspace{14mu} {transport}\mspace{14mu} {block}\mspace{14mu} {is}} \\ {{preferred}\mspace{14mu} {by}\mspace{14mu} {the}\mspace{14mu} {UE}} \end{matrix} \end{matrix} \right.} & {{Eq}.\mspace{11mu} (7)} \end{matrix}$

where

CQIs is a CQI index within {0 . . . 30} for one transport block,

CQI₁ is a CQI index within {0 . . . 14} for the primary transport block,

CQI₂ is a CQI index within {0 . . . 14} for the secondary transport block, and

CQI is an 8-bit CQI value for one or two transport blocks.

In the design shown in equation (7), a CQI value within a range of 0 through 30 is used to convey a CQI index for one transport block, and a CQI value within a range of 31 through 255 is used to convey two CQI indices for two transport blocks. The UE may also map the CQI index or indices for one or two transport blocks to a single CQI value in other manners.

In one design, the UE may send a PCI/CQI report that may include two bits for PCI information and 8 bits for CQI information. The PCI information may convey a precoding matrix or vector selected by the UE. The CQI information may comprise one 8-bit CQI value computed as shown in equation (7). The ten bits for the PCI/CQI report may be channel encoded with a (20, 10) block code to obtain a codeword of 20 code bits. The 20 code bits for the PCI/CQI report may be spread and sent on the HS-DPCCH in the second and third slots of the TTI, which are labeled as “CQI” in FIG. 3.

The Node B may receive the PCI/CQI report from the UE and determine whether the UE prefers one or two transport blocks and the CQI index for each preferred transport block based on the reported CQI value. The Node B may transmit the number of transport blocks preferred by the UE or fewer transport blocks. For example, if the UE prefers two transport blocks, then the Node B may transmit zero, one, or two transport blocks to the UE.

The UE may determine the CQI index for each transport block based on P_(OVSF), which may be obtained based on the designated number of OVSF codes, M. The Node B may have K OVSF codes available for the HS-PDSCH, where K may or may not be equal to M. The Node B may transmit data to the UE in various manners depending on K, M, P_(OVSF) and the available {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) at the Node B.

If K=M, then the Node B may transmit each transport block with the K available OVSF codes at P_(OVSF) or higher to the UE.

If K<M, then in one design the Node B may scale down the transport block size by a factor of K/M and may transmit a transport block of a smaller size with the K available OVSF codes at P_(OVSF) or higher to the UE. For example, if K=10, M=15, and a transport block size of S is selected by the UE, then the Node B may transmit a transport block of size 10·S/15 with 10 OVSF codes at P_(OVSF) to the UE. This design may ensure that the SINR of the transmitted transport block closely matches the SINR estimated by the UE since the same P_(OVSF) is used for both SINR estimation by the UE and data transmission by the Node B. In another design, the Node B may scale up P_(OVSF) by a factor of up to M/K and may then transmit a transport block of size S or larger at the higher P_(OVSF) to the UE. The Node B may predict the improvement in SINR with the higher P_(OVSF) and may select the transport block size accordingly.

If K>M, then in one design the Node B may scale up the transport block size by a factor of K/M and may transmit a transport block of a larger size of K·S/M with the K available OVSF codes at P_(OVSF) or higher to the UE. In another design, the Node B may scale down P_(OVSF) by a factor of up to M/K and may then transmit a transport block of size S or smaller at the lower P_(OVSF) to the UE.

In general, the Node B may select the number of OVSF codes to use for the HS-PDSCH based on K, M, {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) and P_(HSPDSCH) such that P_(OVSF) or higher can be used for each OVSF code. The Node B may transmit each transport block with up to K available OVSF codes at P_(OVSF) or higher. The Node B may scale the transport block size based on the number of OVSF codes used for the HS-PDSCH and the designated number of OVSF codes used to determine CQI.

FIG. 7 shows a design of a process 700 performed by the Node B (or a transmitter). Power information indicative of total power, P_(HSPDSCH), for a designated number of channelization codes, M, with equal power per channelization code, P_(OVSF), may be determined (block 712). In one design, the power information may comprise a power offset between the total power for the designated number of channelization codes for a data channel and the power of a pilot channel, P_(CPICH). The designated number of channelization codes may be the maximum number of channelization codes available for data transmission, which is 15 for the HS-PDSCH. The designated number of channelization codes may also be a fixed number of channelization codes that is known a priori by the UE.

In one design of block 712, the power available for the data channel, {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH) and the number of channelization codes available for the data channel, K, may be determined. The power per channelization code, {tilde over (P)}_(OVSF) for the number of available channelization codes may be determined based on the available power, P_(HSPDSCH). The total power of the data channel, P_(HSPDSCH), may then be computed based on the designated number of channelization codes and the power per channelization code, {tilde over (P)}_(OVSF) e.g., as shown in equation (5). The power offset may then be determined based on the total power of the data channel, P_(HSPDSCH), and the power of the pilot channel, P_(CPICH), e.g., as shown in equation (6). The total power P_(HSPDSCH) determined based on the power information may be greater than or less than the available power {tilde over (P)}_(HSPDSCH). The power information may be sent to the UE, e.g., in an RRC message or via some other means (block 714).

At least one CQI index for at least one transport block may be received from the UE, with the at least one CQI index being determined by the UE based on the power per channelization code, P_(OVSF) (block 716). At least one transport block may be sent to the UE based on the at least one received CQI index (block 718). In one design, the transport block(s) may be sent with the designated number of channelization codes and at the power per channelization code, P_(OVSF), or higher to the UE. In another design, the transport block(s) may be scaled based on the designated number of channelization codes and the number of available channelization codes. The transport block(s) may then be sent with the number of available channelization codes and at the power per channelization code, P_(OVSF), or higher to the UE. In yet another design, the power per channelization code may be scaled based on the designated number of channelization codes and the number of available channelization codes. The transport block(s) may then be sent with the number of available channelization codes and at the scaled power per channelization code to the UE.

FIG. 8 shows a design of a process 800 performed by the UE (or a receiver). Power information may be received from the Node B, e.g., in an RRC message or via some other means (block 812). A power per channelization code, P_(OVSF), for a designated number of channelization codes may be determined based on the power information (block 814). In one design of block 814, a power offset may be obtained from the power information, and the received power of a data channel, P_(HSPDSCH), may be determined based on the power offset and the received power of a pilot channel, P_(CPICH), e.g., as shown in equation (2). The power per channelization code, P_(OVSF), may then be determined based on the received power of the data channel, P_(HSPDSCH), and the designated number of channelization codes, e.g., as shown in equation (3).

At least one CQI index for at least one transport block may be determined based on the power per channelization code (block 816). In one design of block 816, at least one SINR of at least one transport block may be estimated based on the power per channelization code. At least one CQI index for at least one transport block may then be determined based on the at least one SINR and may be sent to the Node B (block 818).

At least one transport block may be received from the Node B, with the transport block(s) being transmitted at the power per channelization code, P_(OVSF), or higher by the Node B (block 820). The transport block(s) may be received via a number of available channelization codes and may have size scaled based on the designated number of channelization codes and the number of available channelization codes.

For clarity, the techniques have been described for data transmission using OVSF codes. The techniques may also be used for other types of resources. In general, a Node B may determine power information indicative of total power for a designated number of resource elements with equal power per resource element. The designated number of resource elements may correspond to a designated number of subcarriers, a designated number of channelization codes, a designated number of time slots, a designated number of data streams, a designated number of transport blocks, a designated number of channels, a designated number of antennas, etc. The Node B may send the power information to a UE and may send data with one or more resource elements and at the power per resource element or higher to the UE.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the disclosure herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

In one or more exemplary designs, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a receiver configured to wirelessly receive a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices at a Node B from user equipment (UE); and a processor configured to initiate wireless transmission of a particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks to the UE from the Node B, the particular number of transport blocks associated with the UE and based on the plurality of CQI indices.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to initiate wireless transmission of power information related to a designated number of channelization codes to the UE from the Node B prior to receipt of the plurality of CQI indices, wherein the power information includes an offset value, and wherein the power information is indicative of a total power of the designated number of channelization codes.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks to the UE from the Node B, wherein the processor is further configured to scale sizes of the transport blocks based on a designated number of channelization codes and an available number of channelization codes.
 4. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: wirelessly receiving a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices at a Node B from user equipment (UE); and wirelessly transmitting a particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks to the UE from the Node B, the particular number of transport blocks associated with the UE and based on a plurality of CQI.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising wirelessly transmitting power information related to a designated number of channelization codes to the UE from the Node B, wherein the power information includes an offset value, wherein each of the designated number of channelization codes is an orthogonal variable spreading factor (OVSF) code, and wherein wirelessly transmitting the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks comprises wirelessly transmitting the particular number of transport blocks to the UE from the Node B.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein wirelessly transmitting the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks comprises wirelessly transmitting fewer than the particular number of transport blocks to the UE from the Node B.
 7. An apparatus comprising: means for wirelessly receiving a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices at a Node B from user equipment (UE); and means for wirelessly transmitting a particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks to the UE from the Node B, the particular number of transport blocks associated with the UE and based on the plurality of CQI indices.
 8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the particular number of transport blocks comprises a preferred number of transport blocks, and wherein the preferred number of transport blocks is one or two.
 9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computer to perform operations comprising: receiving a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices at a Node B from user equipment (UE); and initiating wireless transmission of a particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks to the UE from the Node B, the particular number of transport blocks associated with the UE and based on the plurality of CQI indices.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the operations further comprise initiating wireless transmission power information related to a designated number of channelization codes from the Node B to the UE, wherein the power information includes an offset value, and wherein the power information is wirelessly sent to the UE via a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message.
 11. An apparatus comprising: a processor configured to initiate wireless transmission of a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices to a Node B from user equipment (UE), wherein the plurality of CQI indices indicates a particular number of transport blocks; and a receiver configured to wirelessly receive the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks at the UE from the Node B.
 12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the receiver is further configured to wirelessly receive power information related to a designated number of channelization codes at the UE from the Node B, wherein the plurality of CQI indices is based on the power information.
 13. The apparatus of claim 11, sizes of the transport blocks are scaled based on a designated number of channelization codes and an available number of channelization codes.
 14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a transmitter configured to wirelessly transmit the plurality of CQI indices from the UE to the Node B.
 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein wirelessly receiving the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks comprises wirelessly receiving the particular number of transport blocks at the UE from the Node B via a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission.
 16. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: wirelessly transmitting a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices to a Node B from user equipment (UE), wherein the plurality of CQI indices indicates a particular number of transport blocks; and wirelessly receiving the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks at the UE from the Node B.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein wirelessly receiving the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks comprises receiving fewer than the particular number of transport blocks at the UE from the Node B.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising: wirelessly receiving power information at the UE from the Node B, the power information indicating a power offset value that is expressed in decibels; and determining total received power based on the power offset value and power of a pilot channel.
 19. An apparatus comprising: means for wirelessly sending a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices to a Node B from user equipment (UE), wherein the plurality of CQI indices indicates a particular number of transport blocks; and means for wirelessly receiving the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks or fewer at the UE from the Node B.
 20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions executable by a computer to perform operations comprising: initiating wireless transmission of a plurality of channel quality indicator (CQI) indices to a Node B from user equipment (UE), wherein the plurality of CQI indices indicates a particular number of transport blocks; and receiving the particular number of transport blocks or fewer than the particular number of transport blocks at the UE from the Node B. 